shenery, February 21, 2011
****
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on Jamaican singer/composer Desmond Dekker's 1968 hit song* "Israelites".
This post showcases a 2011 YouTube video of Desmond Dekker performing "Israelites".
This pancocojams post also presents information about Desmond Dekker as well as information about his hit song "Israelites".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/11/desmond-dekker-aces-israelites-official.html for Part II of this pancocojam series. That post showcases the YouTube official audio video of Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker's 1968 hit record "Israelites". That post also presents some comments from the discussion thread for that video.
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to Desmond Dekker for his musical legacy. Thanks to The Aces for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who were associated with this song. Thanks to hare quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
*There continues to be considerable debate about whether Desmond Dekker's song "Israelites" is Ska, Reggae, or Rock Steady. Read "Information About Desmond Dekker's Israelite Song" below for some comments about that subject. Additional comments are found in Part II of this pancocojams series.
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INFORMATION ABOUT DESMOND DEKKER
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Dekker
"Desmond Dekker (16 July 1941 – 25 May 2006)[1] was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group the Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had one of the earliest international reggae hits with "Israelites" (1968). Other hits include "007 (Shanty Town)" (1967), "It Mek" (1969) and "You Can Get It If You Really Want" (1970).
Early life
Desmond Adolphus Dacres was born in Saint Andrew Parish
(Greater Kingston), Jamaica, on 16 July 1941. Dekker spent his formative years
in Kingston. From a young age he regularly attended the local church with his
grandmother and aunt. This early religious upbringing, as well as Dekker's
enjoyment of singing hymns, led to a lifelong religious commitment. Following
his mother's death, he moved to the parish of St. Mary and later to St.
Thomas.[2] While at St. Thomas, Dekker embarked on an apprenticeship as a tailor
before returning to Kingston, where he became a welder. His workplace singing
had drawn the attention of his co-workers, who encouraged him to pursue a
career in music.[3]
In 1961 he auditioned for Coxsone Dodd (Studio One) and Duke Reid (Treasure Isle), though neither audition was successful. The unsigned vocalist then auditioned for Leslie Kong's Beverley's record label and was awarded his first recording contract.[3]
Career
Despite achieving a record deal, it was two years before
Dekker saw his first record released. Meanwhile, Dekker spotted the talent of
Bob Marley, a fellow welder, and brought the youth to Kong's attention. In 1962
"Judge Not" and "One Cup Of Coffee" became the first
recorded efforts of Marley, who retained gratitude, respect and admiration for
Dekker for the rest of his life. Eventually in 1963 Kong chose "Honour
Your Mother and Father" (written by Dekker and the song that Dekker had
sung in his Kong audition two years earlier), which became a Jamaican hit and
established Dekker's musical career. This was followed by the release of the
tracks "Sinners, Prepare"[4] and "Labour for Learning". It
was during this period that Desmond Dacres adopted the stage-name of Desmond
Dekker. His fourth hit, "King of Ska" (backing vocals by The
Cherrypies, also known as the Maytals), made him into one of the island's
biggest stars. Dekker then recruited four brothers, Carl, Patrick, Clive and
Barry Howard, as his permanent backing vocalists to perform with him under the
name Desmond Dekker and the Aces.[3]
The new group recorded a number of Jamaican hits, including "Parents", "Get Up Edina", "This Woman" and "Mount Zion". The themes of Dekker's songs during the first four years of his career dealt with the moral, cultural and social issues of mainstream Jamaican culture: respect for one's parents ("Honour Your Mother and Father"), religious morality ("Sinners, Prepare") and education ("Labour for Learning"). In 1967 he appeared on Derrick Morgan's "Tougher Than Tough", which helped begin a trend of popular songs commenting on the rude boy subculture which was rooted in Jamaican ghetto life where opportunities for advancement were limited and life was economically difficult. Dekker's own songs did not go to the extremes of many other popular rude boy songs, which reflected the violence and social problems associated with ghetto life, though he did introduce lyrics that resonated with the rude boys, starting with one of his best-known songs, "007 (Shanty Town)". The song established Dekker as a rude boy icon in Jamaica and also became a favourite dance track for the young working-class men and women of the United Kingdom's mod scene.[5] "007 (Shanty Town)" was a top 15 hit in the UK and his UK concerts were attended by a large following of mods wherever he played.[3]
Dekker continued to release rude boy songs such as "Rude Boy Train" and "Rudie Got Soul", as well as mainstream cultural songs like "It's a Shame", "Wise Man", "Hey Grandma", "Unity", "If It Pays", "Mother's Young Girl", "Sabotage" and "Pretty Africa".[6] Many of the hits from this era came from his debut album, 007 (Shanty Town).[3]
In 1968 Dekker's "Israelites" was released, eventually topping the UK Singles Chart in April 1969 and peaking in the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1969. Dekker was the first Jamaican artist to have a hit record in the US with Jamaican-style music. Ironically although he went to worldwide fame his former welding colleague Marley never had a UK number one. That same year saw the release of "Beautiful and Dangerous", "Writing on the Wall", "Music Like Dirt (Intensified '68)" (which won the 1968 Jamaica Independence Festival Song Contest), "Bongo Girl" and "Shing a Ling".[3] 1969 saw the release of "It Mek", which became a hit both in Jamaica and the UK.[7] Dekker also released "Problems" and "Pickney Gal", both of which were popular in Jamaica, although only "Pickney Gal" managed to chart in the UK top 50.[3]
1970s
In 1970 Dekker released "You Can Get It If You Really
Want", written by Jimmy Cliff, which reached No. 2 in the UK charts.
Dekker was initially reluctant to record the track but was eventually persuaded
to do so by Leslie Kong.[3] Dekker's version uses the same backing track as
Cliff's original. Kong, whose music production skills had been a crucial part
of both Dekker's and Cliff's careers, died in 1971, affecting the careers of
both artists for a short period of time.[3] In 1972 the rude boy film The Harder
They Come was released and Dekker's "007 (Shanty Town)" was featured
on the soundtrack along with Cliff's version of "You Can Get It If You
Really Want", as well as other Jamaican artists' hits, giving reggae more
international exposure and preparing the way for Bob Marley.
In 1975 "Israelites" was re-released and became a UK top 10 hit for a second time. Dekker had also begun working on new material with the production duo Bruce Anthony in 1974. In 1975 this collaboration resulted in the release of "Sing a Little Song", which charted in the UK top twenty; this was to be his last UK hit.[7]"...
****
INFORMATION ABOUT DESMOND DEKKER'S SONG "ISRAELITES"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelites_(song)
" "Israelites" is a song written by Desmond Dekker and Leslie Kong that became a hit for Dekker's group, Desmond Dekker & the Aces,[2] reaching the top of the charts in numerous countries in 1969. Sung in Jamaican Patois, some of the song's lyrics were not readily understood by many British and American listeners at the time of its release.[3] Despite this, the single was the first UK reggae #1 and among the first to reach the US top ten (peaking at #9).[4] It combined the Rastafarian religion with rude boy concerns,[5] to make what has been described by Allmusic as a "timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries".[6]
Song Origin and lyrics
Originally issued in Jamaica as "Poor Me
Israelites",[7] it remains the best known Jamaican reggae hit to reach the
United States Hot 100's top 10,[5] and was written almost two years after
Dekker first made his mark with the rude boy song "007 (Shanty
Town)".[2] Dekker composed the song after overhearing an argument: "I
was walking in the park, eating popcorn. I heard a couple arguing about money.
She was saying she needs money and he was saying the work he was doing was not
giving him enough. I related to those things and began to sing a little song:
'You get up in the morning and you're slaving for bread.' By the time I got
home, it was complete."[8] The title has been the source of
speculation,[9] but most settle on the Rastafarian Movement's association with
the Twelve Tribes of Israel. In the 1960s, Jamaican Rastafarians were largely
marginalized as "cultish" and ostracized from the larger society,
including by the more conservative Christian church in Kingston. Destitute
("slaving for bread") and unkempt ("Shirt dem a-tear up,
trousers a-gone"), some Rastafarians were tempted to a life of crime
("I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde"). The song is a
lament of this condition.
Musical structure
The vocal melody is syncopated and centred on the tone of B
flat. The chords of the guitar accompaniment are played on the offbeat and move
through the tonic chord [B flat], the subdominant [E flat], the dominant [F],
and the occasional [D flat],[5] viz, [B flat] - [E flat] - [F] - [B flat] - [D
flat]. It was one of the first reggae songs to become an international hit,
despite Dekker's strong Jamaican accent which made his lyrics difficult for
many listeners to understand outside of Jamaica.[10]
Impact
Despite "Israelites" being recorded and released
in 1968, the Uni 45 discography shows its copyright as 1969.[11] In June 1969,
the record reached the Top Ten in the United States, peaking at #9 on the
Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. "Israelites" hit #1 in the United
Kingdom,[12] the Netherlands, Jamaica and West Germany.
[...]
Appearance in other media
The song has appeared in numerous movies and television
programs,[14] including the soundtracks of the 1989 American film Drugstore
Cowboy and the 2010 British film Made in Dagenham.
On November 3, 2019, "Israelites" was prominently featured in the third episode of HBO's Watchmen. Potentially because of this usage, the song charted again, entering the Billboard Digital Reggae Song Sales Chart at #2.[15]
****Online Source #2
From https://genius.com/Desmond-dekker-israelites-lyrics
"Actually performed by Desmond Decker and the Aces, it was the first Reggae No. 1 in the UK and the second to make the top 10 in the US.
Musically, “Israelites” is all about Jamacian syncopation. A guitar and organ provide opening chords and counterpoints, but it’s the Jamaican reggae rhythm expressed by that jittery drummer, combined with those terrific vocals that defines the song.
The song is rooted in the ideas of the Rastafarian religion,
which borrows the idea of the twelve Tribes from Judaism: the “Israelites”.
Rastafarians see Ethipoia as the home of the Falasha or Beta Israel; the home
of the “Lost Tribes” of Israel, and they see themselves as their descendants.
This loosely organized religion became popular in the 1960s among poor
Jamaicans."
****
Online Source #3
From Desmond Dekker & The Aces – Israelites (Official Lyrics
Video), published by Trojan Records Official, May 7, 2019
"Between 1967 and 1975, Desmond Dekker, Jamaica’s first
recording superstar, graced the UK pop charts on no less than 7 occasions.
His ground-breaking hit, ‘Israelites’, was the first Jamaican-produced song to top the UK chart in April 1969.
Its popularity led to a reggae explosion that took the genre into the mainstream and opened the way for the likes of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and Toots & The Maytals to follow.
Consequently, despite his tragic death over decade ago this year, he remains one of a handful of reggae artists who are readily identified with the genre.
And now, over half a century since 'Israelites' forever
changed the sound of popular music, it is celebrated once more with a brand new
lyrics video."...
****
Online Source #4
From https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/oe4gr2/desmond_dekker_the_aces_israelites_classic_reggae/ "Desmond Dekker & The Aces "Israelites (Classic Reggae)
[Numbers added for referencing purposes only.]
1. wifespissed, 2021
"And the debate continues. Is this reggae, or is this ska?"
**
Reply
2. SavageHenry592, 2021
“Rocksteady”
**
Reply
3. [deleted], 2021
“Ska I think, it's not about tempo, a drummer friend told me ska is a straight
beat and reggae has a swing to it”
Reply
4.
"I’d say this defo swings."
**
Reply
5. [deleted], 2021
"I listened again and I agree, it does"
**
6. eggsssssssss, 2021
"I usually see this song referred to as reggae. The band made
music variously labeled ska, rocksteady, and reggae, and there’s a TON of
overlap between genres in 20th century Jamaican pop music. So it’s not really
all that important.
For that matter, when I see “Trojan Records” the first genre I think of is actually dub. Seriously, so many great strains of music came out of jamaica in the 1960s & ‘70s."
**
7. superfleh, 2021
"This isn't raggae it is 1st wave ska"
****
LYRICS - ISRAELITES
[Verse 1]
Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir
So that every mouth can be fed
Poor, poor me, Israelites (Ah-ah)
Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir
So that every mouth can be fed
Poor, poor me, Israelites, sir
[Verse 2]
My wife and my kids, they pack up and a-leave me
Darling, she said, "I was yours to receive"
Poor, poor me, Israelites, hey
Shirt, them a-tear up, trousers are gone
I don't want to end up like Bonnie and—
(Poor) Bonnie and Clyde, poor me, Israelites, hey
[Verse 3]
After a storm, there must be a calm
They catch me in the farm
You sound your alarm
Poor, poor me, Israelites, hey
****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.
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